A fresh take on Romans 6

[Gideon]

10 hours ago, Not me said:

Romans 6:2 (NASB)
~~~~~~~~~~ How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

I have thought that this message in Romans 6 will only be understood by those that see the necessity of such a message inside themselves. For the message is so profound that only those that are willing to literally die, rather than sin, can be made to understand it. For a total death to self is being called for. But until the need is raised in the heart, the words will only remain words. Blessing to you for trying. 

Much love in Christ, Not me

This is so very true. And the apostle Paul backs this up in the very next chapter....Romans 7. Here we see that very mindset, as Paul reveals the struggle He went through to please God in his own efforts, only to fail, and fail again.  No matter the effort expended, no matter how he tried to avoid sin, no matter how he set his mind to do those things pleasing to God,  he ended up pleasing self. 

It is this battle that we all are called to as we struggle to enter His rest. Until we see the need for Christ to live, not just IN us, but  through us, with us not even in the co-pilots seat slowly dying..... which means never dying.....but actually dead, we cannot enter Romans 8, where there really is no condemnation. 

In my thirty eight years of trying to be a good Christian, condemnation followed me every step I took. If I read ten chapters a day, I should have read twenty. If I gave my last twenty dollars to someone in need, I should have also brought him home to a warm bed. It was a miserable life. People would counsel me telling me there was no condemnation, but as you point out, until God comes in, they are just words on paper. 

But when I finally saw the true need for me to die, and yet fully  saw that no matter the effort, I could not crucify myself, or die to self,, it was at that exact moment God appeared to me to show me what He has also shown others, including you my dear brother. My day of reckoning had finally arrived. 

Paul HATED his old nature. He realized he could not reform it, retrain it, tie it up and force it to do good, or kill it. But it MUST die in order for us to walk free indeed, for as long as we, the old us lives, the law of self effort strengthens sin in us, and we will fail again and again. 

In these last days, God is opening our eyes to this truth, that we MUST be holy, and that we, in our efforts, CANNOT be holy, But praise God, He will be holy in us if we but consent to die and reckon ourselves dead to sin and self will. 

Who will see this truth first? It seems the rascals, the supplanters, those who struggle with big, disgusting sins. We are told it will be the least to the greatest. Blessed are those who long to please their God, but who finally understand that despite their best efforts, they will fail as long as their old nature lives. Oh, the joy of putting it off, like discarding a filthy coat. Oh, the amazement of letting the robe of righteousness, Jesus, Himself, become our robe, our armour, our very being. 

Sin must become exceedingly sinful to us. Self must be looked at as the enemy himself. But when we arrive at that point, and our eyes are opened to what God has done for us, to live in us and cause us to obey Him, praise God, what a day that is in our walks. What day is it? It is the day of FREE INDEED!

Thank you so much for your insights, dear brother. You are loved. 

Blessing, 

Gids

Edited July 3, 2018 by Gideon

[Not me]

31 minutes ago, Gideon said:

Self must be looked at as the enemy himself.

Yes!  When “self” is seen as the enemy, oh, a blessed day indeed that is. 

In Christ your fellow laborer, Not me 

[Not me]

11 hours ago, Cletus said:

God would not command us to do something thats impossible... without giving us every tool to do so. 

Walk in The Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.   galatians 5. 

Hope you don’t mind me chiming in.

This is so true. God would not have given us something impossible to do. As the scripture you brought forth states. “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh”. So the reason there are believers who are not walking in victory over their sinful natures would have to be that they are not “walking in the Spirit”.

For scripture says that, if we “walk in the Spirit” we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. So the reason would have to be that whatever those believers are doing, one thing is for certain, is that they are not “walking in the Spirit”.

Seeing how we are told that if we do “walk in the Spirit” we would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It would be of critical importance to know exactly what “walking in the Spirit” would mean. 

So what would “walking in the Spirit” mean in real time? 

We read in; 

Galatians 3:3 (KJV)
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Than whatever the Galatians did at first was “in the Spirit” so a continuation of whatever they did, would be “walking in the Spirit” and a continuation of that would be “living in the Spirit”. 

So the question would be. What did the Galatians do at first? 

They simply believed or had faith in what God said and did. 

So “walking in the Spirit” would be simply,  “believing God”. 

It is to this backdrop the scripture;  

“when Christ died you died” is to be understood. Simply taken as the truth that in reality it is.

Our old man has been crucified with Christ. We are simply told to reckon it so because, in reality and truth when Christ died we died. The way of walking a victorious Christian life is by faith as with all things of God they are to him that believes.

For the;

“just shall live by faith”

This is the only way to receive anything from God. By faith in Him. 

Much love in Christ, Not me.